


Chances & Choices

by TheProperLexicon



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Ball, Descendants - Freeform, F/M, Graduation, Party, Wedding, surprise, villain kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-12-20 00:34:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11909520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheProperLexicon/pseuds/TheProperLexicon
Summary: It's nearing the Villain Kids graduation, and Ben is planning a massive ball. But all is not as it seems to Mal. The ball is too big, the dress too elaborate, and no one wants to tell her what all the fuss is about. She suspects something more than a graduation party, but how close is she to the truth? Is there something secretive going on at Auradon Prep? And if there is, is she prepared for what it could mean?





	1. Chapter 1

She was perched in the window seat of her dorm room, her forehead leaned against the glass watching as Fairy Godmother directed the servant, with her trusty clipboard in her grip. Graduation was in three days. It felt like a lifetime ago that they had climbed from that limo and into the world of Auradon Prep; and now, they were graduating. In all her years on the Isle, she had never considered that she would be preparing for a ceremony of this caliber. As Lady of the Court, she would be expected to lead the class from the dorms to the staging area that was already being set up outside. She sighed, her breath fogging the window ever so slightly, she smudged it away.

The door behind her burst open, and in rushed her best friend and roommate, Evie. Her blue hair was pulled up in a messy but still elegant bun, and in her arms, she carried bolts and bolts of fabric in various hues. Following in her footsteps was Dizzy, daughter of Drisella. She was laden with her own fabrics and accoutrements. Evie was breathless she kicked the door shut behind them, and she stumbled across the room to dump her burden on her bed. Flutters of fabric cascaded over the deep blue coverlet, a few rolls of the material cascading to the floor. Dizzy followed suit, but instead dropped her items on Mal’s bed with a dramatic sigh.

Mal rolled her weight to face them, dropping her feet to the floor and letting her gaze fall to the mountains of fabric. It was all various shades of yellow and blue. “Is that what I think it is?” Mal asked, arching an eyebrow at Evie. Evie’s answering grin was all she needed. “That’s an awful lot of fabric, E,” Mal continued, rubbing her hands on her knees.

“Don’t worry, it’s not all for the dress,” Evie answered. Mal frowned. “I’m making you a veil and a train, too.”

“Oh, E,” she countered. “No, please. I don’t want a train. Or a veil. This isn’t a wedding. It’s a ball.” Evie’s lips twisted up in a half smile, and Mal rolled her eyes. “Stop it. It isn’t a wedding.”

“I mean, this seems like an awful lot of pomp and circumstance for the end of a school year.”

Mal turned away, stamping down the panic that threatened with this discussion. Since Jane had started running around, planning a massive ball for after graduation, Evie had been on the surprise wedding train. At first, Mal had brushed it off. It was common, after all, to have such a ceremony. Or at least that was what Ben had told her. But she also remembered his graduation. And yes, there had been a huge party after, complete with full dance number. It had been nothing like what Jane was planning for their graduation. When she had brought that up to him at dinner a few nights after the event was announced, he had countered that as well. It was the first time anyone from the Isle was graduating from Auradon Prep, of course it deserved a ball.

She had tried to shrug it off, but then Evie started planning her gown and she began to get paranoid. Her best friend was also Ben’s advisor, she was privy to what happened behind those office doors when Mal was not around. And that worried her, more than she would let anyone know.  
She pushed herself up off the window seat and straightened her dark green jeans. She was wearing a billowy purple blouse that complimented her fuchsia hair. “I’m going to the library,” she said, reaching down and scooping up her bookbag. “See you for dinner.” Evie waved to her as she bent her blue head over the piles of fabric, Dizzy kneeling beside her on the floor, sorting through beads and lace. Mal closed the door silently behind her and leaned against it, her eyes closing briefly.

“Mal,” Jay said from right beside her. She jumped, her hand flying to her chest as her heart thudded. “Sorry!” he exclaimed, reaching out a hand to drop it on her shoulder. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You hissed my name right in my ear, what were you expecting to have happen!” Mal muttered, dropping her hand. “Well, what’s up?”

Jay stared at her for a moment, as though trying to figure out if she was really all right. When she fixed him with her coolest glare, he shook himself as though wiping the cobwebs from his thoughts. “I wanted your opinion on what to get Lonnie for the graduation ceremony.”  
Mal tilted her head and frowned. “Isn’t Evie better suited for this?” she asked.

But Jay shook his head. “Nah. Evie’s great at all that girly stuff, sure. But Lonnie isn’t all about that life, ya know?” He held up his phone. “What do you think?” In his shopping cart were two items, both obviously chosen for Lonnie. One of them was a quarterstaff, wrapped n the blue and yellow of Auradon. The second was a crossbow, with half a dozen arrows, all painted to look like cherry blossoms. “Well?”

Mal studied both. Jay had definitely done his research, they both looked high quality. She tilted her head. “Honestly, I like the quarterstaff better for her, but I love the cherry blossoms. Is there a chance the seller can do a custom staff?”

“Oh man,” Jay said, slapping his hand to his capped forehead. “That’s genius, Mal.” Mal beamed. “You’re gonna make a great queen.” She felt the blood rush to her face, the panic that surged though her, but Jay was already walking away, typing on his phone. “Thanks, Mal!” he called over his shoulder.

“Anytime!” she called, halfheartedly. She shifted the bookbag on her shoulder and headed off to the library, her head down and her face still red.

 

She had no more than gotten out of the dorms when she felt a determined presence swooping down on her. She flinched even as Jane seemed to materialize beside her. “Hey, Mal,” she chirped.

“Hey, Jane,” Mal stopped abruptly, and so did the girl. She waited for Jane to speak, and when she just stared, Mal lifted a hand to give her a coaxing motion. “Did you need something?” she asked.

“Oh, yes,” she answered. “Sorry. Did you do something new to your hair?”

“Uh. No. Not really. I think it’s parted on the side today. Why?”

“Not sure,” Jane answered. “You just look different.” She shook her head. “Any who! I have some questions about the ball.”

“Yeah?” Mal asked, gesturing. “Do you mind if we walk and talk? I’m on my way to the library.”

“Oh, sure!” Jane chimed in her ever-sunny voice. “So, we got the place settings that you approved ordered, and the tapestries that we decided on. There’s a menu for you to finalize,” at this she handed Mal a tablet with a menu displayed. “Which, of course I can send you digitally if you prefer.”

“No, this is fine,” Mal answered, glancing it over. “Substitute the flounder for the tilapia, and you’re all set. We wouldn’t want to offend Princess Ariel and Prince Eric at the ball, would we?”

“Right!” Jane answered, taking back the tablet and making a note. “And the music list?”

“Approved and in your inbox already. I sent it this morning.”

“Wow, really? How did I miss that?” She swiped on the tablet. “Oh, yes. There. Ok. Oh, are you sure you want the first dance to be How Far I’ll Go? I was thinking about maybe, I don’t know, Tale as Old as Time?”

She felt that same pulse thundering response, the panic welling up in her chest, her face warming. “No,” she said, trying to maintain her calm. “That’s Ben’s and my song, sure. But this ball is about the graduating class, not us. Right?” She felt the edge in her voice, and heard the higher pitch in it as she finished the sentence. She willed Jane to blurt out the truth, the idea that had been haunting her since Evie first mentioned that idea of a surprise wedding all those weeks ago.

But Jane’s demeanor never changed. She remained cool and calm; her voice never wavered. “Right, of course. That makes sense.” She scanned her tablet before nodding once. “Thanks, Mal!” She turned and marched off across the lawn, her head bent over the tablet in her hands. Mal took a deep breath and pushed on to the library.

 

Inside, the shelves were quiet, as one would expect for a library, she assumed. It was, in true Belle fashion, the largest library in the land. Students sat at tables in the center, heads bowed over books. They were studying up for finals, of which they were in the midst of. Being a graduating senior, Mal had already taken her finals, and passed. But she still found solace here, in the library. The ground floor, and the next floor up, was for the students, with text books and research materials. The upper floors, the ones that seemed to fade away into the sky, were filled with the royal family’s personal collection. You had to have a special pass to get in to that portion of the library, so it was usually a bit more out of the way than the student area. She badged herself in, and took to the stairs.

Once she was settled in a nook with a table, she pulled her books from her bag and spread them out around her. There were several language books, and some on the procedures of the court. There were science books, and magic books, and even a book about botany. She had learned in her Royal Studies class that she took alone, with Fairy Godmother, that a Lady of the Court should be well-versed in multiple subjects. Perhaps all of them, she had been told. So, she had spent the weeks leading up to, and after, finals studying even more than she had when she was a student.

A noise behind one of the shelves disturbed her. She glanced up from her French book, and scanned the room. She saw no one, but the shelves were one sided here, so there could be someone just behind it. She bent her head back over to look down again. That was when the voices came drifting to her. They were not very loud, and she did not recognize them, but she could hear them plainly.

“Oh, look here,” one of them said. A man, by the tenor.

A woman gasped, then giggled. “Look at that, she looks just like her mother.”

“You’d never notice the resemblance now, of course. Not since she turned her into a lizard.”

Mal’s heart started to pound again, and she froze. Her hands went cold. Back in the days of the Isle, she would have turned them into frogs and thought nothing of it. But now, she was painfully aware that she could do nothing but confront them. Of course, her relationship with Ben gave her a certain level of security in the confrontation. But she also hated to play that card.

“I just can’t believe he’s going to marry her. Ever since the Cotillion earlier this year, when she showed up with that purple hair, it just doesn’t befit a Lady of the Court, does it?”

“Do you really think he’s going to marry her?” the man asked, his voice pitching upwards slightly. Mal’s palms began to sweat.

“Well, yeah,” the woman replied. “Haven’t you heard about the huge ball that he’s throwing for her graduation? It’s even bigger than the one that we had after his coronation.”

“Isn’t that where she turned her mom into a lizard?”

Mal did not wait for the response. She pushed herself upwards so quickly that the chair toppled backwards and slammed on the floor. With a whoosh of her hand, all her books were piled up and back in her bad, and she was rounding the corner. Both of the gossips gasped as her hair appeared in their view. The look she shot them was enough to turn them both to stone, if she had possessed the magic to do it. As she did not, it would have to suffice that she hissed, “Just you wait,” at them before storming away.  


Once outside the library, she started to run. Across the green lawn and toward the castle. She took the stairs on the grand staircase two at a time, her breath burning in her lungs. Her arms were shaking from carrying the bag of books close to her chest, and her bangs were plastered to her forehead when the door to Ben’s office came into view.  
She flung herself at it, fire in her chest. It pushed open easily and she all but fell inside. Surrounding the mahogany desk where Ben sat were all of his advisors, the ones that he had inherited from King Adam at his coronation. Every single man in there was old enough to be her father, or even her grandfather, and here she was, breathing heavily, nearly sobbing, and they were all staring at her in shock.

She gulped, willing her eyes to dry. “I’m…” She trailed off, her gaze darting to where Ben had bolted up in his chair. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… I should go.” She turned and reached for the doorknob, her hand shaking as she did so.

“Mal,” Ben called, his voice panicked. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” she lied, pulling the door open. “It’s stupid. Just…” She trailed off. “Just come find me when you can.” She moved to step through the door, but Ben’s voice stopped her.

“Wait!” he called. She paused, refusing to turn back. She could feel the tears burning at the corners of her eyes. “Hold on.” She waited, her back to the room. “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse us for a moment.” Behind her, she heard the rustling of fabric as all the men rose to their feet and moved, as one, to the door. Mal stepped aside, her head down to keep them from seeing the streak that a tear was tracing down her cheek. One by one, they passed her. A few reached out and gave her arm a friendly squeeze, and she felt her heart gallop in her chest.  


When the last one was gone, she still stood there in the door like she was frozen to the spot. Finally, Ben’s shoes appeared in her line of vision and his hand slipped into hers. He tugged her away from the portal and closed it behind her. Then his free hand reached up tilted her chin up, his blue eyes bright with concern. “What is it, Mal?” he asked, tenderly. “What happened?”

“It’s nothing,” she repeated. “It’s stupid. You didn’t have to send them away.”

“My girlfriend comes barging into my office, looking like she’s about to cry, and I’m not supposed to take a moment to find out if she’s ok? That’s ridiculous. Those men can wait. You’re more important than talking to them.” Mal felt the tears well back up. “Ok, so, you’re still looking like you’re about to cry. What’s happened?”

Her hands were trembling, and Ben must have noticed because he lifted both her hands in his and placed them on his chest. Then, he waited. He waited and he watched her, quiet and patient. He did not press her, he did not look like he had more important things to do. He merely waited. She gulped. Now that she stood here, it seemed so silly a question to ask. But if she did not find out, she thought she would go mad. There was no better time than the present, she told herself.

So, she opened her mouth and blurted it out in a rush of words. “Are you planning a secret wedding for graduation? Because your graduation was also your coronation, and you didn’t have a ball nearly as big as this, and everyone is being really secretive, and Evie is making me a huge dress with a train and a veil, and Jane wants the first dance to be our song, and it’s not that I don’t want to spend my life with you, but I’m not sure I’m ready for a big secret wedding. I’m only just understanding how to be Lady of the Court, and Queen is a big step from that, and I want to be with you, of course, but also I don’t want to be Queen just yet because-” She was rambling, but she could not stop.

Thankfully, Ben noticed it too and lifted a hand back up to her chin. The moment he made contact with her, she paused in her speech and blinked at him. “Mal,” he whispered, his voice soft and warm. “Take a breath.”

She did as she was told and once she exhaled, she said, “Well, are you?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, maybe it isn't a wedding. But it's still going to be amazing.

Ben blinked at her for a long moment, his hand still on her chin. “Mal,” he began, holding her gaze. “After everything that we went through earlier this year, everything that we learned about each other, you think that I would really spring something like that on you?”

When he said it out loud, of course it seemed ridiculous. He knew her, better than she had known herself for a while. Of course, he would know that she would not have wanted a secret wedding. “When you say it like that,” she offered sheepishly. His lips twisted up in a grin before he bent to kiss her. She kissed him back, sliding her now still arms around his neck. “I’m sorry I freaked out.”

“Don’t apologize,” he murmured to her, his arms around her waist. “I wish you hadn’t let it get to the point that you were crying, though. How long have you suspected this?”

She hitched a shoulder. “A few weeks,” she answered. “Since the ball was announced, actually. Evie was so excited, and she started planning this big, fancy dress. And I told her that I didn’t need that huge dress, but she somehow got it into her mind that it was for something more than a ball…” Something glinted in Ben’s eyes, and her heart sped back up. “Oh no,” she said. “It isn’t just a ball, is it?”

“Well,” Ben answered, stretching out the word. He tilted his head left and right, as though loosening the muscles in his neck.

“Ben, what are you planning?” She took a step back, feeling the tremors come back. “If it’s something that I need to prepare for, then I need to know about it. I can’t walk into something blind, you know.”

“No, no,” he replied. “It’s nothing like that.” He gestured her into his office. They were still crowded around the door, with him looming over her. “Come, sit down.” She moved into the room and around one of the chairs that were out for the advisors. She sank down, and he followed suit. He was leaned forward, toward her. His brown hair was in his eyes and she instinctively reached out and brushed it away. He shook his head like a mane, a habit he had likely gotten from his father. The offending hair fell into place easily. “It’s a graduation gift of sorts,” he explained. “I know how what happened with Uma last spring affected you.” Mal glanced down at the ground. She had not talked much about it, but he had been overly observant of her ever since his time on the Isle. He must have recognized how the guilt had plagued her, guilt at getting out and leaving all the other kids there.

“It’s not a big deal,” she murmured.

“It is, though,” Ben continued, reaching out and taking her hands in his. His fingers moved over the back of her palm, the thumb soft on her skin. “I never meant for it to only be you four. You were a trial, and I lost sight of that with everything else that happened. But, I had always wanted to bring others over. My time on the ship with Uma reminded me of that.” Mal looked back up at him, her green eyes pained. “Again, nothing about that day was your fault, Mal. Please.” She nodded slowly, and he sighed. “We’ve been over this. I came to the Isle of my own free will, I made the choice to wander off. I was the one who got picked up by Harry. None of that is on you.”

“I know,” she sighed. “It doesn’t mean that I can’t feel bad about it, though.”

“That’s exactly what it means, Mal,” Ben countered. “Now, I wanted to keep this a surprise, for graduation. But since you seem prone to stress right now, and I can probably see why, given the fact that you’re graduating in a few days… I guess the surprise can happen now.”

Mal shifted in the seat, her gaze on him. “Ok,” she offered. “I’m ready.”

Ben watched her for a long moment, his blue eyes dancing over her face. He watched as she steeled herself, and he could not help but wonder if surprises would ever be a pleasant experience for her. “We’re expanding the class sizes for Auradon Prep,” he began, leaning back in the chair had he had sunk into. “By about seventy students.” Mal’s eyes widened as the realization washed over her. “I’m bringing over all the kids from the Isle.”

“All of them?” she squeaked, her eyes wide in her pale face. They flashed bright green for a moment, and Ben’s smile faltered.

“Uh, yes,” he continued. “All except Uma, whom no one has seen since the Cotillion.”

Mal nodded, she knew that much. For a few weeks afterward, Ben had tried to issue her a gaggle of bodyguards. But she had proved that she could handle herself when she turned into a dragon and flew away from them after only a few days of their constant company. After that, Ben had disbanded them from her private guard to the school guard. “Ben, I…” She trailed off, uncertain on what to say. This was huge, bigger than she ever could have imagined. All the kids of the Isle, coming to Auradon. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“Well, the way I see it, you’re the biggest, baddest of the Isle, and you’re dating the king. So, really, how bad can those kids be?” His smile was bright again, and she could not help but return it. “Are you happy? Is it a good surprise?”

Mal’s smile deepened, and she reached for his hands. “It’s a great surprise, Ben. Thank you.” She leaned forward and kissed him, he reached up with both hands to cup her cheeks as he kissed her back.

 

Evie and Dizzy were bent over a tremendous amount of tulle when Mal stepped through the door. They both glanced up, and though Dizzy went back to sorting, Evie pushed herself up with her palms. “Mal,” she said. “Where have you been? I sent Carlos over to the library and he said you weren’t there.”

“I went to talk to Ben,” she answered, dropping her bag on her bed. Evie pushed herself up off the floor to lean against the bed post. She watched her best friend sink down onto the bed. Mal picked up a pillow and held it in her lap, watching Evie in return. “He told me, E.”

Evie blinked at her. “Told you what?” Her friend’s voice was cautious.

“That he’s bringing over all the kids,” Mal answered softly, her eyes on Dizzy’s head.

“He’s _what_?” Evie demanded, eyes wide in her pale face. Framed as it was with her cobalt hair, she looked like a painting. Mal’s heart started to hammer as she realized that it had not been a surprise only for her. “When? How? _All of them_?” Evie sputtered, her hand wrapping around the bed post she was leaned again. Mal nodded slowly, worry creasing her face. Below them, bent over on the floor, Dizzy was gaping as well, her signature squeal silenced in her shock.

“Evie, I…” Mal whispered, confused by her reaction. “Is this not a good surprise?”

Evie sank onto the bed, her eyes staring blankly at the floor. “I just… Never thought… I mean, of course it’s a good surprise. There are so many kids who deserve a chance, M. Of course.” Her gaze swung back up to her best friend, and her forehead showed signs of worry. “But then there are the ones that… Some of them just aren’t going to be good, M.”

Mal nodded, acknowledging her friend’s worry. There were quite a few kids on the Isle that could go very, very bad in a world of magic. She reached out a hand to Evie and when the girl took it, she sank down to meet her at eye level. “If they go rogue, then you and I can handle it. It’s that simple. We’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, of course. But the moment they step out of line, we’ll show them just how scary we still are.”

A small smile twisted up the corners of Evie’s lips, and she nodded, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “We are pretty scary, aren’t we?” Mal nodded in return, a smile in place. “Ok. Cool.” She looked over at where Dizzy was bent over the tulle. “Hunh,” she grunted, blinking. “I’m going to have to redesign your dress, now. A veil and a train are just ridiculous when you think about the context.”

Mal burst into laughter, bringing her hand up to her mouth to cover her lips. After a brief pause, Dizzy and Evie joined her. The three of them collapsed into giggles, and it was the lightest that Mal had been in weeks.


End file.
